| Show Tax-evading Tax couple arrested at their New Hampshire compound Erika Los Angeles Times Federal marshals posing as supporters peacefully arrested a couple convicted of tax evasion who had been holed up in their New Hampshire mountaintop home for months vowing to die fighting rather than surrender Ed and Elaine Brown let the marshals into their secluded Plainfield compound about pm p.m. Thursday US U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier said The Browns were arrested before they realized they had been deceived Monier said Friday at a news conference The turreted house had become a commune for government anti-government activists and militiamen who traveled from around the country to visit the couple bringing them food and ammunition Ultimately this open-door open policy that they seemed to have which allowed the Browns to have some supporters bring them supplies welcome followers and even host a picnic this proved to be their undoing Monier said They invited us in We escorted them out Monier said no one else was in the Browns' Browns home when the undercover agents entered This ended exactly the way we wanted it to end he said without a ashot ashot ashot shot being fired and with no one getting hurt Authorities discovered a large number of weapons explosives and ammunition on the property Monier said and booby traps had been set up along the perimeter of the house The couple were turned overto overto over overto to the custody of the US U.S. Bureau of Prisons Monier said Each is expected to serve a month 63 sentence The Browns stopped paying income taxes in 1996 claiming that the Constitution and Supreme Court decisions supported their claims that ordinary labor cannot be taxed Ed Brown a former exterminator repeatedly had demanded Show me me the law But a judge ruled against them in January convicting the Browns of conspiring to evade paying taxes on 19 million in income from Elaine's dentistry practice Ed Ed 65 immediately went into hiding and Elaine 67 Taxes Continued on AS Tax evasion Continued from fromAl Al lat later r joined him after both failed to show up for their sentencing in April Government and law enforcement officials cut off power Internet telephone cell phone television and mail service to the couples couple's acre IIO-acre compound But the Browns had equipped it with solar panels a watchtower a satellite dish and a stockpile of food The couple had attracted national attention from W Web Web Web eb sites and radio shows devoted to discussing their cause Supporters held fundraiser concerts on the Browns' Browns property and set setup setup setup up a blog and page for them Last month authorities arrested four men accused of assisting the Browns r Shaun Kranish a a at t supporter from Rockford Ill who had visited the Brown home said that he was discouraged by their arrests and that he found if it hard to believe they had not put up a fight We were not told he L said how or what types o of weaponry were involved in taking them |
